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I'm excited because I know that at least two big players are coming in the summer if we keep 3rd place and if the other one is called Gotze, with Wilshere, Ox, Song, Podolski, RvP, Walcott and a revitalised Rosicky the sky is the limit in a creative sense and this defense is starting to look very resilient, Nibiru permitting.

the excitement is abt the better weeks of our season.... its been almost 5 years since we went on this kind of winning run, couple more wins and we will surpass that.... agreed we wont win anything yet again during the season, but most gave this team a league position of 5th or 6th and we r much better than that now....

I dont blame our fans being happy, I was happy to scrape a win. However, all gunnersingh and co are doing is looking at the bigger picture. Remember one thing and one thing only, Trophies and accolades are what matters in football, it also stops players like Fab, Nas and co @#$%& off to other clubs (And yes money s also a big motivator).

However, with most of you guys trophies dont seem to matter... many of you live for the moment... you might as well support your d.ick and the quick w.ank brigade... the ultimate live for the moment of instant gratification. F.ucking T-bone w.ankers

Peter Storey, Trophies and accolades are what matters in football, it also stops players like Fab, Nas and co @#$%& off to other clubs (And yes money s also a big motivator).

The best trophy we can hope for now is to keep RVP.
Automatic CL place also means we can buy who we want. You think pod', Gotze/hazard will come if we're not in the CL? No. Of course not.
We're celebrating climbing from 18th to 3rd and saving our future.
How is it you guys are still miserable, and incapable of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

I wouldn't be so sure anyone of the stature of these two mystical saviours Gotze and Hazard will be coming to the club. Some people seem to think this is nailed on forgetting that its Wenger and Gazidis who control the purse strings. With those two niggardly and hesitant buyers maybe we should be expecting someone as influential as Park or Chamakh.

I agree with Peter. It's the overall picture that needs to be addressed. This is a club that's won nothing since 2005 under the stewardship of one man. A man who has proved he can win trophies but seems to have lost that ability.

Sure this recent run of results is wonderful and all credit to everyone at Arsenal but let's see where we are by May and let's see who we buy in summer otherwise next season may well be like the previous five.

Philly, let me give u a simple analogy:
I have me own meat business, just because we sell a few more pork chops on a saturday morning dont mean I go running to the bank asking for a loan to buy the premises next door. Im in business for 12 months of the year, if the opening six months sales are s.hite, I simply take me meat cleaver to what ever the route cause might be... bad staff, poor meat or f.ucking complainant customers!

It's simple mate... we are here by default... we had a poor start to the season and we dont know the route cause and like several seasons before this... this could all very well repeat itself and all happen again.

I get that Peter. But at the start of the season, the moaners all harped on about us being in administration (using your analogy here). Now we're back in the black and looking to finish the financial year strongly, so the banks are more likely to lend you the money for the unit next door. The future looks brighter, no?

hippogunnerI wouldn't be so sure anyone of the stature of these two mystical saviours Gotze and Hazard will be coming to the club.

For sure, they certainly won't if we don't get into the CL.
Remember last years summer was ruined by us coming 4th, and having the CL qualifier meant it was uncertain that we'd make it. Hence making it harder to sign early.
I 'll be pleasantly surprised if we got either Hazard or Goetze. But can I not be happy that we're in a position to sign who we want?
No pleasing some people!!

Where the f.ck have we got it in our minds that we buy Nanny'Goatz or bleedin Hazard. The board and the press have talked for two seasons about big £50M warchests etc but Wenger has so far refused to spend that kind of money!

Wengers admission earlier this season that his'youth project' had failed. That's what gives me hope.
I'd rather live in hope and take the positives from our season than moan and ignore the Wenger has done amazingly to turn our season around.
But, that's just my take on it. What ya gonna do?

Where the f.ck have we got it in our minds that we buy Nanny'Goatz or bleedin Hazard. The board and the press have talked for two seasons about big £50M warchests etc but Wenger has so far refused to spend that kind of money!

Wenger did spend 50M in Aug when he bought Gerv, Per, Arteta, Ox, Santos, Park... its just that we made even more money by selling our best players and that money is in our profit books when results were declared after Spuds game...

hippogunnerI wouldn't be so sure anyone of the stature of these two mystical saviours Gotze and Hazard will be coming to the club. Some people seem to think this is nailed on forgetting that its Wenger and Gazidis who control the purse strings. With those two niggardly and hesitant buyers maybe we should be expecting someone as influential as Park or Chamakh.
I agree with Peter. It's the overall picture that needs to be addressed. This is a club that's won nothing since 2005 under the stewardship of one man. A man who has proved he can win trophies but seems to have lost that ability.

Sure this recent run of results is wonderful and all credit to everyone at Arsenal but let's see where we are by May and let's see who we buy in summer otherwise next season may well be like the previous five.

This is also the club that has build a 60k stadium with huge help of one man who has been making the club money in the transfer market and still keeping them on top 4. But Im sure you think making money in the transfer market and being a CL club is easy. look at the clubs we are fighting for fourth and their net spend the last 6 years. Wenger deserve massive credit in building us this stadium.

Also Wenger is the man who has changed Arsenal reputation single handed. This is the club that was know for its boring football and was called 1-0 to the Arsenal. The image Arsenal has across the world today compared to 16 years ago is like day and night.

GS, you're right, you are reading the situation completely wrong. Nobody would have said they'd be happy with 3rd back in July. And if we were 1st for most of the season and finished 3rd most people would be pi*sed. But after the season we've had, coming back like this is clearly something to be happy about. Not least because we look to have a solid base of players to build on for next season.

So we haven't won anything in six years. So what? Is that going to stop me from supporting my Gunners? Why shouldn't I be content when we win or leapfrog ahead of our mortal enemy, the tiny spuds? Why shouldn't I be a proud gooner? In spite of our bad start, our injuries, the parsimonious nature of our owner/Board, we're in third place. That's something to be content about.

Well he didn't physically build it but it was built off the back of his success with the club, and he was consulted over several aspects of the interior development of it.

Anyways GS - the first five games of the season some people felt that relegation was a real possibility, that's not an exaggeration check the threads, others felt that we'd struggle to make the top half of the table - but nobody could've envisaged that we'd be 3rd with nine games left, it's extraordinary and worth celebrating.

I'm happy at the moment because we've had a great run of results, & the way we've got those results.

L'Pool pounded us but we stole a win, whereas the Spuds game was a fantastic performance after we'd given them a 2-goal lead, & went on to hand them their ass.es.

And getting a 95th minute winner vs Newcastele is the best way to get a victory as G Neville said.

I'm happy at the moment cos I expected nothing this season, but we've got all the way back to 3rd (not counting me chickens yet, though), when I thought we might just make 4th.

But I'm also happy because I think the 1st half of the season gave AW & the Board a look into the future of what it might be like if they continue to the current penny-pinching transfer policy & riculous wage structure.

And what they saw they didn't like - reduced crowds, loss of revenue, team & manager booed off the pitch, players leaving, potential targets refusing to come etc .etc., and I think they may have finally woken up.

So I'm happy cos I expect some decent signings, & to be on the up again - passing the Spuds as they go the other way.

I think you are misreading the entire mood of arsenal fans gunnersingh and your last statement isnt in keeping with your original statement.
You are asking why there is excitement amongst the Arsenal fans, and the answer is quite simple, we are playing well and winning - theres nothing more to it. And if you cant be excited and happy with that I would seriously suggest you take up another sport or team to support because the stress you would consistently be under is not healthy.
People are excited and optimistic and have every right to be, we have started playing well as a team and shown signs that there is some class in the team.
I think every fan here has stated that they dont feel this squad is complete or ready to challenge for the EPL so I dont know where you get that we are content with not winning.
So in short - Arsenal fans have every right and reason to be excited at present.

I am over the moon ... thrilled to be on this epic winning streak and our climb to third place - that truly IS a milestone if you want the club to build in the offseason.

That said, I am not oblivious to the things that still concern me about wenger.
-- it is directly HIS fault that we opened this season unsettled and in disarray - putting 27 different players on the pitch in our first five games. Gaining only 7 points in our first 7 games put us out of a championship opportunity from then on.
-- continuing to play a poor ramsey, leading to a poor offence.
-- allowing quality attacking depth in arshavin to leave too easily.

I prefer to ride this wave of success to the end of the season and I will be guardedly optimistic that wenger has truly changed his spots and will get us that quality AM in the transfer market to put us over the top.

The FA struck a special trophy for Arsenal when we had an invincible season.

I am sure we can persuade the FA to create another trophy for us. A trophy for a team that has finished 4th and above for seven seasons in a row. Lets us start the campaign now or the greatness of Wenger will be forgotten

Lets leave the League Championship, FA Cup, European Cup and Carling cup to the also rans, lets see how many could win a trophy like that.

Health Warning
Trophies are not awarded until the end of May

Arsenal is a top 16 European club that will remain a top 16 European club and the Emirates is tape-loop that will win trophy after trophy

Nothing will change to stop Arsenal's domination except the ticket prices which must go up so that Wenger can make even more marquee signings.

Kroenke, Gazidis & Wenger are made for each other a glorious triumvirate heading for immortality.

Arsenal’s not a football club it is the one true religion Milton Palmer

ZainyI think you are misreading the entire mood of arsenal fans gunnersingh and your last statement isnt in keeping with your original statement.
You are asking why there is excitement amongst the Arsenal fans, and the answer is quite simple, we are playing well and winning - theres nothing more to it. And if you cant be excited and happy with that I would seriously suggest you take up another sport or team to support because the stress you would consistently be under is not healthy.
People are excited and optimistic and have every right to be, we have started playing well as a team and shown signs that there is some class in the team.
I think every fan here has stated that they dont feel this squad is complete or ready to challenge for the EPL so I dont know where you get that we are content with not winning.
So in short - Arsenal fans have every right and reason to be excited at present.

But.....

We must build on it and if we don't do exactly that this summer the excitement will quickly turn to anger.

Padre PioYes De Times is right, you can get quality on the cheap, Denilson, Djourou, Squillaci, Bendtner.
There is no need to pay £15million for an oxlade chamberlain

anelka: 500k

viera: 3.5 m

Pires: 7 m

bergkamp: 7.5 m

lundburg: 3.5 m

campbell: FREE

silva: 5 m (final total)

Lauren: 7 m

seven of those bargains went unbeaten for a whole season, a feat never achieved tot his present day in top flight football. the other useless 500k signing (who helped win us the league and fa cup) netted wenger 22.5 million in profit allowing us to buy that other useless player for 11 rising to 13 (with add ons) million. who was he? only the mighty titi. yes, de times is so wrong.

Problem there is though we paid no transfer fee we paid about 20 milllion pounds for Sol Campbell.

I think if anything we should have done that more often because we would have spent our money more efficiently on better players

If you look at wages invested in those players they cost a fair bit more even over a three-year contract. so in fat we where very sharp and very clever. But again even if these players are available and not priced out of our range they will cost close to double or triple in some cases the fees you cite.

But we do have the resources to pursue them. So why don't we? We don't want to pay competitive wages because if we pay competitive wages we also pay more in transfer fees for these players. Better to only be able to buy a very few players for a fair bit less then to buy to buy a good bit more for for a fair bit more.

RadioFreeArsenalProblem there is though we paid no transfer fee we paid about 20 milllion pounds for Sol Campbell.
I think if anything we should have done that more often because we would have spent our money more efficiently on better players

If you look at wages invested in those players they cost a fair bit more even over a three-year contract. so in fat we where very sharp and very clever. But again even if these players are available and not priced out of our range they will cost close to double or triple in some cases the fees you cite.

But we do have the resources to pursue them. So why don't we? We don't want to pay competitive wages because if we pay competitive wages we also pay more in transfer fees for these players. Better to only be able to buy a very few players for a fair bit less then to buy to buy a good bit more for for a fair bit more.

radio that's as far as i can go. i don't have your knowledge for the technical side of finance. i say this as a compliment to you, i have read your threads and posts, from start to finish and a lot goes way above my head. you have a flair for the political side, something that i could not fathom if i lived to be a 1000 years old. im ignorant of that side of the game so am bowing out with grace here and shall reserve my comments to the playing side of things, I know when i've been humbled. im out of my league here and know when to scram. brilliant essys by the way, i enjoy reading them. are you a journalist?

I have nothing to more to say to you. you are looking for an argument which you will not get. you are a trouble maker, i can see it in your hostility. get onto the moderators and voice your concerns if you are so convinced i share the same identity as radio. i suggest you will be left with egg on your face. but you are a basic trouble maker with not one positive thing to say.

amazeing how you just got shown up and made a fool out of on the other thread when I showed proof that you quoted me which you refuted and looked so stupid. I said you are unpleasant and your hostility walked yourself into that one. most people here seem very nice, why can't you be nice? im sorry you made a fool out of yourself when you got caught out but you only have yourself to blame.

MJ you should know better than to think I feel any such need to sneak a view about anything onto anything. Just like I don't need to pretend the whole world agrees with me to feel confident in what I say like you do.

Indeed I'm shocked that you aren't doing that because it suits your approach to how to post since you can't post unless everyone agrees with you about what you're posting. So creating fake handles would support your claims.

Me I have never felt that sorry need to feel like I can argue against your views. I am right pretty much all the time when we lock horns and that is more than enough for me. I don't need anyone else to back or to pretend anyone else backs me to know that thank you.

About the only skill or virtue you offer is you can wind people up as you like to brag. What other virtue or quality do you, offer besides that? Seriously you should think abnut that.

guys, ive met people like this idiot on twitter, they love to wind people up. i told him i will have no more dealings with him as his only goal is to upset people. don't answer him and he'll fly away im sure. he attacked me earlier and i showed him up with a quote of mine he denied posting. he was disgusted over that and made some lame pm at me, and has now moved on to this thread to anger people. just ignore him. he's a sad individual. i hate saying that about another person, but its true and he needs to grow up somewhat.

I wonder how long people are going to keep on talking about how we won by bargain buys,so far its seven years with this model failing ,but i guess that's irrelevant.The world changes people so a method that worked from 98-2005 can loose relevancy.Sticking to a method because it used to work even though it's now failing is a good way to get left behind.If Arsene's methods were still working and relevant these disputes amongst fans would not be happening.

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